On December 24, 1968, NASA launched Apollo 8, marking a monumental achievement in space exploration. Led by Commander Frank Borman, with Command Module Pilot James Lovell and Lunar Module Pilot William Anders, Apollo 8 became the first crewed spacecraft to leave Earth’s orbit, travel…
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On December 23, 1913, President Woodrow Wilson signed the Federal Reserve Act into law, fundamentally reshaping the financial and economic structure of the United States. This legislation established the Federal Reserve System, commonly known as the Fed, as the nation’s central banking authority. Its…
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One day near the end of the Revolutionary War, the King of England and his royal painter, Benjamin West, born in Pennsylvania, were discussing what was happening in America. The King asked West what George Washington would do were America to be declared independent.…
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On December 21, 1891, in a modest gymnasium at the International YMCA Training School in Springfield, Massachusetts, a group of restless students unknowingly participated in a moment that would reshape sports history. James Naismith, a Canadian-American physical education instructor, had developed a new game…
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In the winter of 1970, an American legend was born that shaped the future of air combat forever. The prototype of the Grumman F-14 Tomcat soared into the skies on December 21, 1970. This inaugural flight marked the genesis of a game-changing chapter in…
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On December 20, 1989, the United States initiated Operation Just Cause, a military invasion of Panama with the goal of removing Manuel Noriega from power. This event was a significant milestone in U.S.-Latin American relations, demonstrating the American military’s capacity to carry out a…
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On December 20, 1860, a secession convention in South Carolina voted unanimously to secede from the Union. Fearing that Republican Abraham Lincoln’s administration would appoint antislavery officials who would undermine slavery, slaveholders chose to abandon the Constitution and form their own nation. To justify…
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On December 19, 1776, Thomas Paine published the first of his series of pamphlets titled “The American Crisis” in The Pennsylvania Journal. This work marked a pivotal moment in the American Revolution. Beginning with the now-iconic line, “These are the times that try men’s…
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December 18, 1865, Secretary of State William Seward officially proclaimed the Thirteenth Amendment ratified, officially ending slavery in the United States. Seward’s announcement was especially fulfilling to the New Yorker, who had spent much of his adult life fighting for the end of slavery.…
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On December 16, 1944, the serene winter landscape of the Ardennes forest erupted into chaos as German forces launched a massive surprise assault on Allied troops. This confrontation, known as the Battle of the Bulge, became one of the most critical turning points of…
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